White Arkitekter (ENG)

White Arkitekter and City of Lviv have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a pilot project for a timber school in Lviv, Ukraine. The ambition is for the project to serve as a national demonstrator for sustainable reconstruction, regulatory testing and skills development. It will act as a full-scale testbed for timber construction, aligned with European standards and regulations.

White Arkitekter, one of the Nordics’ leading architecture practices, has appointed architect Oskar Norelius as CEO. Norelius will assume the role following the company’s annual general meeting on 7 May. The appointment comes as projects in the built environment are becoming increasingly complex – shaped by climate targets, tighter resource constraints and new expectations on how buildings are designed, delivered and stand the test of time.

Together with Rabe Landschaften, White Arkitekter has won the competition to develop a new park along St. Pauli waterfront in Hamburg. Commissioned by the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Energy and Agriculture (BUKEA) in Hamburg, the architectural practices are designing a place for everyone shaped in collaboration with local residents, centred on community.

The Erven, a new sustainable timber neighbourhood in Hoofddorp just outside Amsterdam, has been selected as the winning proposal for a major phase of the Lincolnpark development area. The project will deliver approximately 519 new homes built with timber and bio-based materials, forming an inclusive, future-proof neighbourhood inspired by the traditional Dutch farmstead.

White Arkitekter has won the architecture competition for one of Gothenburg’s most talked-about projects: the prestigious Arena Quarter. With its central role in the city’s cultural and entertainment life, the district will shape the future identity of Gothenburg – a place destined to make its mark.

The Swedish city of Varberg is growing and evolving. The old water tower has served its purpose, and the city wanted a modern successor that reflects Varberg’s deep connection to water. The result is Våga – a wave-shaped water tower sculpted from concrete. With its unique design, Våga breaks new ground in water tower architecture. The spectacular structure is now officially in operation.

White Arkitekter has received project funding by the Swedish Institute through the SI Ukraine Cooperation Programme for the key initiative SustainTimber: Standards for Sustainable Transition. The project aims to develop sustainable timber architecture in Ukraine while aligning the country’s rebuilding efforts with European regulations and integration goals.

White Arkitekter's latest addition to the list of successful timber projects is the observation tower Kärven. A visually striking simplicity reminiscent of a bundle of twisted straws, made possible by advanced technology at the intersection of architecture and construction. The spectacular tower in Getterön nature reserve north of Varberg, has already attracted international attention to the Swedish west coast and will officially open on August 30. White Arkitekter has created an observation tower where the construction itself is the architectural expression.

White Arkitekter and CarbonZero, owner of the Prodikt platform, are starting a collaboration and taking a joint step to promote the development of a more sustainable construction and property industry. The goal of the collaboration is to develop easier ways to perform sustainability analysis and to be able to see the climate footprint of what is being project planned in real time.

During the prestigious Dezeen Awards in London last night White Arkitekter was named the winner of the category Architect of the year. White Arkitekter is awarded for being “a leading voice in the drive towards more sustainable buildings”.

At CTBUH 2023 International Conference, that took place in Singapore this year, White Arkitekter received two Awards of Excellence for the design of Sara Cultural Centre in Skellefteå, Sweden. The 75-metre-tall timber building was also named the final winner in the Best Tall Building Europe category after presenting the project in front of a live jury and international audience.

Yesterday the new Velindre Cancer Centre won the Future Healthcare Design category in the European Healthcare Design (EHD) Awards. The EHD Awards are one of the most prestigious international architecture awards in healthcare architecture and recognise professional and research excellence in the design of healthcare environments around the world.

This weekend the 18th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia opens. Earlier this spring, it was announced that White Arkitekter has been invited by this year's curator Lesley Lokko to exhibit in the main Exhibition The Laboratory of the Future. White Arkitekter’s contribution to the exhibition raises the question of whether it is possible to find a balance between the forest as a resource and the urgent need to preserve and rebuild fragile ecosystems.

As our cities expand, so does the need to clean the dirty water from them and protect them from flooding. The new stormwater pond at Exercisfältet in Uppsala solves both problems, while contributing to biodiversity and creating a place where people can socialize and go for a stroll.

Commissioned by Amt Tübingen des Landesbetriebs Vermögen und Bau Baden-Württemberg, White Arkitekter has, in collaboration with HPP Architekten, been entrusted to design the new Medical Clinic of the University Hospital of Tübingen, Germany. The building is designed with a holistic sustainability concept and focuses on a healing environment for the patients as well as an efficient working environment for the staff.

Kiruna has been under development for many years and now the first step in the relocation of the city is complete. The relocation is one of the largest urban transformations in modern times, with White Arkitekter and Ghilardi + Hellsten responsible for the masterplan of the new town centre. Today Kiruna's new city centre is inaugurated and celebrated with a public party in the third day.

When the Ukrainian architectural firm Studio Zmist sent out a wide request to European architectural firms for cooperation in the restoration and rebuilding of Ukraine, White Arkitekter was quick to respond. Now, a cooperation agreement has been signed between the two architectural firms. A long-term collaboration in both business and knowledge sharing built on each other’s expertise in architecture and sustainable urban design.

Today, Queen Silvia Children’s hospital was appointed winner in the European Healthcare Design Awards in the Interior Design and the Arts category. The award is a proof that Queen Silvia Children’s hospital inspires and contributes globally to the development of innovative and creative healthcare environments.

In Bergen, Norway, White Arkitekter is designing the city's new waterfront park and new Lungegårds Park. Today, the project received gold in the category “Future projects – Leisure” at WAN Awards. The global awards acknowledge and celebrate outstanding works of innovative, visionary, and imaginative architects worldwide.

'Can Architecture Fix This?' is a new podcast from White Arkitekter in Oslo. Join host Rebekah Schaberg and producer Ingjerd Sandven Kleivan for discussions and interviews with experts in the fields of design to see if we can answer the question: Can Architecture Fix This? – whatever this may be!